Electric control device



April 18, 1961 s. R. ovsHlNsKY ELECTRIC CONTROL DEVICE Filed April 29. 1957 United States Patent ELECTRIC CONTROL DEVICE Stanford R. Ovshinsky, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Tann forporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michgan Filed Apr. 29, 1957, Ser. No. 655,738

9 Claims. (Cl. 20D-87) Thisinvention relates to electric control devices, and particularly to a device which controls-the flow of different types of current in the presence of different conditions. y

The device consists of a sleeve of insulating material having end plugs therein which confine one or more balls within the hollow interior. Each plug has a pair of spaced contacts andan electrode therebetween having an insulated face which is contacted by the ball when the ball bridges the contacts to complete a circuit. Conductors are connected to the pairs of contacts so that the circuit formed thereby can be completed by the ball or balls when moved therebetween. The electrode has .a potential applied thereacross, setting up a static field of substantial volts and with substantially no current. The ball or balls are conducting or at least have a conducting surface so that the gap between the contacts when bridged thereby completes a circuit. Normally the ball is moved back and forth in a rapid manner between the electrodes by the charge on the electrode and ball and, as a result, the two circuits which include the contacts are alternately completed and broken in a rapid manner. If both of the circuits are connected together, an impulse flow .of current may result, or if the ow in one is in the opposite direction to the other, an alternating current will be produced. The cycle of this flow of current would depend upon the speed of travel of the ball between the two pairs of contacts. The speed is controlled by a change in the applied potential on the electrodes and by the flux ofa coil which provides a bias across the deviceibetween the contacts which may restrain and slow up the passage of the ball through the field thereof or increase the speed thereof when main- 'taining it out of contact with the wall of the sleeve.

This biasing coil may also be employed when sufficient current is applied thereto to hold the ball within the field in spaced relation to the pairs of contacts at the end of the device, to thereby interrupt the ow of current through both of the circuits which include the contacts. Similar coils may bepapplied across'the vcontacts to hold the ball in engagement therewith to complete a circuit containing the contacts and maintaining the circuit completed for a desired length of time. Thus, ink .l

a simple device circuits may be made and supplied with a ow of current due tothe ypassage of a magnetic ball through the field of a coil on the device. A 'circuit may be completed through the rholding ofA a ball in engagement with the" contacts at one or they other end of the device. `Circuits may be completed through theoperation of energy applied to the various coils on the device which, when favorably disposed, will cause the ball to bridge the contacts and be held thereagainst to maintain a circuit. Thus, the device may be employed asan oscil-v lator, asa rectifier, as a frequencycontrol element, as

" a generator, vas asignal vresponsive device or one responsive to several ditferenttsi'gnals when properly related to each other, andV for manyother purposes. The defifiice of carrying a substantial amount of current due to the size of the ball. When employing the ball as a bridging element, increased wear life will occur due to the repeated change in position of engagement of the ball each time the contacts are bridged. The speed of making and breaking the circuit also aids in preventing pitting of the ball surface. Very little power is required to operate the device which is impervious to temperature changes land therefore extremely stable. The speed of movement of the ball varies both with a change in the impressed potential across the electrodes and the bias provided in the area therebetween by the associated coil which produces feed-back and modulating characteristics. The balls may be magnetic or nonmagnetic, depending on the application of the device, and preferably have a conductive surface for bridging the contacts. For example, a nonmagnetic ball having a conducting material can be employed in the interior of the device for oscillation therewithin. In other words, nonconducting balls with a conducting surface could be employed as bridging members of the device. A surface of good conducting material may be applied to the balls to increase the conducting properties thereof.

Accordingly, the main objects of the invention are: tovprovide a device having a hollow interior in which a ball is freely movable from one to the other end in an electrostatic field provided by a potential across the ends; to provide a pair of contacts at one end of a hollow sleeve which is bridged by a movable ball therewithin which may be maintained against the contacts by a magnetic flux; to provide a pair of contacts at both ends of a hollow sleeve in which one or a pair of balls are freely movable in an electrostatic field between the ends which cause the balls to reciprocate between the conductorsV to alternately complete a circuit thereacross and by the use of magnetic fields hold the ball out of or in engagement with the contacts; to provide a coil about the sleeve intermediate the electrodes for producing a field for con trolling |the movement of the ball and therefore the frequencyof engagement of the ball or balls with the contacts; to provide a coil adjacent to each of the contacts for holding the ball in bridged relation thereacross with substantial pressure to maintain a circuit through the contacts, and, in general, to provide a device for making and breaking circuits under the direct control of an operator or by the proper application of signals to the device, all of which is simple in construction, positive in operation and economical of manufacture.

Other objects and features of novelty of the invention will be specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring-for a better understanding of the invention, to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a sectional viewof a device having contacts and a movable ball therein, embodying features of the present invention; Y y

Fig. 2- is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. l, taken on the line 2-2 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a reduced view of the structure illustrated in Fig. l, showing a pair of balls in the device;

Fig.` 4 is a broken view of structure, similar to that illustrated in Fig. l, showing another form which the invention may assume, and

Fig. 5 is a view Aof structure, similar to that illustrated in Fig. l, showing another form of the invention.

The device of the present invention comprises an indisposed in veach end thereof and secured in position by l suitable means, herein illustrated as by a press fit. 'Apep vice may be exceedingly small in size and yet be capableV tures may be providedthrough the plugs to permita lflow of air from the ends of the device orthe devicemay `bey i .seated and evacuare@ ,to reduce. the .resistente fatte sleeve.

movement of the ball and to eliminate the arcing when high currents are interrupted. Each of the Plugs contains a pair of spaced contacts 7 with an electrode 8 disposed between the contacts. A ball 9 of less diameter than the interior of the sleeve simultaneously engages the contacts 7 and a thin layer of insulating material 19 is applied to the end of the electrode 8. The electrodes S are connected by a conductor 11 to a high voltage source 12 which applies a high voltage with substantially no current across the electrodes 8. When the ball strikes the linsulating material on the end electrodes 8, it will have the same polarity as the adjacent electrode 3 and will be repelled from that electrode while being attracted by the opposite electrode of the opposite sign. Y Upon striking the insulation covering the end of the opposite electrode, the charge on the ball changes to that of the now adjacent electrode and it is returned, maintaining a rapid reciprocation of the ball between the end plugs. In this manner, the ball acts as a charged particle in van electrical ield and therefore can be accelerated, focused and 'made to function as a visible electron. The speed ofthisreciproeation varies with the amount of potential provided bythe source 12. Vit is to be understood that `this potential is high in Voltage with substantially no current andl that an electrostatic held is provided betweenrthe `electrodes across the hollow interior of the sleeve 5. A coil i3 is mounted onthe central part of vthe sleeve and produces a flux when energized lwhich affects the movement of the ball in reciprocation Vthereacross. v This liux changes the speed of movement of the ball to increase or decrease the speed with that produced by a change in the potential of the source 12. The current of the coil 13 may be increased to such an amount as to actually interrupt the movement of the ball, maintaining it stationary in a central position, which thereby interrupts the circuits which are completed when the ball bridges the contacts 7. Circuits are formed by the conductors 14 at the right-hand plug and by the conductors 15 at the left-hand plug, as viewed in Fig. I.

Coils 16 and 17 may be provided on the device adjacent to each set of contacts, so wound and positioned as to apply a bias to the ball 9 to force it into engagement with a set of contacts 7 at one or the other end of the Any of the coils 13, 16 and 17 may retain the ball captive when in bridging relation to the contacts or when spaced therefrom, to thereby interrupt or maintain a ow of current in a circuit formed by the conductors Y14 or 1S. Thus, circuits may be interruptedor completed by applying current to the coils 13, 16 and i7 annealed to reduce the strains and aid in procuring these desirable properties. With such a material, a small force is capable of controlling large amounts of current in a power circuit.

As pointed yout hereinabove, the two circuits 14 and 1S may be parallel so that an impulse ow of current occurs while the ball is reciprocated at a` predetermined frequency which is controlled. If the flow of current in the two circuits 14 and 1S is in the opposite direction, an alternating current will flow in the circuit to wh ch the conductors 14 and 15 are connected in parallel at the frequency of movement of the ball between the contacts. The use of the coil, primarily the"central coil, has `the further advantage of maintaining the ball il oati, ing on the center line of the sleeve, thereby eliminating "any rictional engagement with the inner wall thereof which might slow up or providev a variation in the frequency of movement of the ball. The ball may be made of magnetic material having a surface applied thereto of greater conductivity for passing a large amount of current or the magnetic material itself may be employed to bridge the contact, thereby to vcontrol the amount of current which may flow. The ball need not be made of magnetic material; conducting material may be used to carry the current across the contacts. The ball may be made of insulating material with a coating of conducting material thereon which will carry the current between the contacts 7 when in bridging relation thereto. These types of nonmagnetic balls can be employed in the device when used as an oscillator. The balls will respond to an electric eld provided across the electrodes 8 of Fig. 1 when the coils 13, 16 and 17 are omitted. The ball will rapidly move from one to the other end of vthe device and bridge the contacts 7 if provided at the ends to complete circuits thereacross. The speed of movement of the ball may vbe regulated, as pointed out above, so that the frequency of making the two circuits is controlled, or a single circuit if contacts 7 are provided only at one end of the device. n

For a relay action the ball must be maintained in bridging relation to-a set of contacts and this may be done by moving the dielectric material and the electrode from a position of engagement by the ball when in bridging relation with the contacts so that it is continuously attractedthereby. A second iield could be superimposed over the first or employed in place of the iirst eld to retain the ball in bridged relation. Thus, an oscillator isV provided when employing magnetic or electrostatic iields and in case of the former the coils would be energized and de-energized in proper sequence to produce the rapid movement of the ball. Thus, when the ball bridges the contact, it can also strike a spring or plunger of a switch to open a contact to the circuit of adjacent coil and to complete a circuit to the coil at the opposite side of the device. It is within the purview of the invention to make the ball from no'nconductive material and move it to bridge the contacts 7 which are in abutting engagement to move them apart Vand thus interrupt the circuit. The bridged contacts can be employed to directly control the change in the energization and de-'energization of the coils. Also, switching means can be externally'timed and controlled from Ya suitable device for energizing and die-energizing the coils.

In Fig. 3 the same structure is illustrated as that of Fig. 1, with the exception that'a second ball 18 is added to vprovide more versatility to the device. Thus, each of the coils 16 and 17 can attract a ball to complete the circuits through bothl sets of conductors 14 and 15 or one or both of the coils 13 in the central part of the device may be employed to hold one or both of the balls and thereby break the circuits through the conductors 14 `and 15. Thus, through the energization of the different coils 13, Y16 and 17, a complete control may be had of making and breaking the circuits or to'oscillate both balls simultaneously 'in the manner described above with regard to the single ball of the structure of Fig. 1. The structure of Fig. 3 may accomplish everything that can be accomplished with the device of Fig. 1, and additionally both of the circuits through the conductors 14 and 15 may be controlled simultaneously.

The ball or balls may have more clearance with the wall of the sleeve 5 than that herein illustrated. Apertures may be provided in the end plugs 6 so that the air may move ,therefrom ahead of the ball as it oscillates within the sleeve. The plugs may be sealed within the ends of the sleeve and the air evacuated to provide a vacuum in which the ball. moves, which is beneficial in preventing arcing'pon the interruption of a heavy current. An inert gas may be4 employed within the device ambie. .y Y,

assume.

'In Fig. 4 coils 19 are illustrated disposed'about a sleeve 5, so located and wound as to provide a ux path through the hollow interior along the central axis thereof for oating the ball or balls along the axis out of engagement with the internal sleeve wall so as to more freely accelerate the ball. Since the ball or balls function as charged particles, electrodes or protons within the sleeve 5, they will respond in the same manner to other forces brought into iniiuenee therewith. IIlhus, a magnetic force can focus and direct a ball into bridging relationship to any one of a series of pairs of contacts, to thereby complete a selected circuit. Because the balls have substantial mass, the magnetic force of the coils 16 and 17 may be relied upon to move the balls into bridging relatxonship with the contacts when the electrodes 8 and power source 12 are removed from the device. Grids, magnets and coils may be substituted for the electrodes, such grids, magnets and coils being illustrated in the copending application of S. R. Ovshinsky, Serial No. 644,360, iiled March 6, 1957, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In this application, controls are provided for a plurality of balls within a sleeve which form conducting chains under the influence of a magnetic or a charging force. -In the present arrangement, a single ball produces the bridging of the contacts which are located adjacent to each other in place of the chains of balls employed when the contacts are spaced farther apart. In either case, the balls respond to forces in the manner previously described, especially when the balls are made of proper magnetizable material having a. low coercive force and residual properties. Silver, silver cadmium oxide or other good conducting metal may beplated on the ball so that a large amount of current may be passed without heating. The balls follow the same rules of acceleration and focusing under the inliuence of an electric field and magnetic force as do the charged particles in such fields. The electric field mayl be relied upon for moving the ball to bridging position or a magnetic force lcan be employed to move the ball and to hold the ball in bridged relation. Thus, the single ball of the present device functions as a single electron, the plurality of balls of the application function as a lstreamof electrons which form conducting chains for the passage of the current. Whether one or a plurality of balls are employed in an electrostatic or magnetic field, or both, the action of the ball or balls simulates the action of charged particles in similar fields and being so much larger the balls can control a much greater amount of current. A ball may have its own chargewapplied thereto, such, for example, as by radioactive material or may have its molecular structure altered, or may be surrounded by an ionized gas, or may be subjected to heat to permit a freer exchange of electrons with` the charging material and produce the effects desired in ,a more rapid manner within an electric field.

In Fig. a device is illustrated embodying a housing 22 having a plurality of spaced contacts 23 at one end opposite to the converged area 24 in which a ball 25 is attracted by an electrode 26 and a coil 27. Similar electrodes 28, 29 and 30 are located adjacent to the contacts and connected in parallel by a circuit 31 to a power source 32. Coils 33, 34 and 35 are provided adjacent to the electrodes 28, 29 and 30 so that the balls 25 may be moved by the source of high potential 32 or by the flux of the coils 27, 33, 34 and 35. Both forces may be applied simultaneously or separately, the high potential or the magnetic linx may be employed alone for rapidly moving the ball back and forth between the electrodes for bridging a set of contacts 23, the coils being alternately energized to provide the attractive force. The intluence of `the iiux of the coils 33, 34 and 35 thereon will focus the ball, and when of surricient strength will retain the ball in bridged relation to the selected set of contacts. Similarly, the coil 27 may be employed to hold or slow up the ball 25 in its movement, thus providing feed-back and modulating characteristics to the device. The speed 6 of the ball, `as pointed out above, is controlled by the strength of the potential from the source 32 and the strength of the magnetic field of the coils and the control of the position of the ball by the various signals received by the different coils to produce fields which locate the ball at a particular point in accordance with the strength of the different signals which are received.

Coils 36 and 37 or electrodes to provide magnetic linx or an electrostatic field may also be provided for the purpose of deflecting the ball from its path between the electrodes 26 and 29 to the electrodes 28 or 30 so as to have the balls selectively bridge any of the plurality of spaced contacts 23 herein illustrated. While contacts are illustrated only on the right-hand end of the device for the purpose of simplicity, it is to be understood that both ends may be provided with the contacts and electrodes.

The electrodes may -be spaced, as herein illustrated in the iigures, or a plurality of electrodes may be employed in spaced offset relationship to each other along the length of the device, with a potential graded across the pairsY of electrodes so as to be increasing from one to the other end of the device. Such a graded potential aids in the rapid acceleration of the ball in its movement from one to the other end of the device and the device thereby becomes an accelerator for macroscopic particles which will be moved with an increasing velocity so that the particles will be capable of performing substantial work at the end of their travel. The particles are not limited to straight-line movement, as hereinv described, but movement may take any configuration, such as spiral, helical or following a harmonic pattern, depending upon the fields associated with the device. A pulsating force can be employed advantageously to produce the acceleration of a particle in a given path within a given space in a sequential manner. For example, an object, such as a ball hereinabove described, may be hurled at a tremendous speed from a device having the herein recited principles embodied therein to simulate a rilie but employing substantially higher speeds.

The energy used as the control in the many devices which may be constructed from the circuits, electrodes, contacts, balls and the like'of the present invention may be an electric field, a magnetic field, or an electromagnetic radiation or a combination thereof which may be continuous or discrete units of various magnitudes, various frequencies, and different polarities. Therefore,the specific drawings herein set forth in the five iigures are not to be considered limiting as many structures and devices may be built up from the elements disclosed, recited and claimed, since any well known combination of circuits, controls and the like now employed with charged .particles of the various known tubes can be simulated in devices formed of ther charged, magnetic, magnetizable or like balls positioned to be influenced by the different iields and energies herein recited. Y y

Since extreme effort is employed to procure balls from amagnetizable material that has a minimum coercive force, is highly permeable and has practically no residual properties, the passage and control of large currents can be regulated by small forces. It is evident that dierent magnetizable materials will require greater forces to control and by constructing balls from differ ent materials a gradient of balls is obtained, each requiring a greater force than another whereby a control may be had for moving the ball, depending upon the strength of the force employed. A low force will cause one ball to move to bridge a pair of contacts. A higher force will cause another ball to move into bridging relation to another pair of contacts. A still higher force will move a third ball into position to complete a third circuit 'and so on. Upon the reduction of the force, one or seen lthat one method of frequency control would be by having 'balls respond to one frequency but not to another. Thus, for a given magnetic material and a rated .magnetic force, the frequency must be of proper duration to move the ball to bridge the contacts.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electric control device, a housing, spaced contacts in said housing, a ball freely movable within the housing to and from bridging relation with said contacts, and electrode means for applying a charge to the ball to cause it to move within the housing to engage said contacts,

2. In an electric control device, a housing, a plurality of pairs of spaced contacts in said housing, a plurality of balls movable within said housing in bridging relation to Said contacts, and means for controlling the position of said balls within the housing, said means embodying a source of magnetic energy for retaining a ball in bridging relation to that pair of contacts which is associated with said source of energy.

3. In an electric control device, a housing, two pairs of spaced contacts in said housing, a ball movable within the housing to and from bridging relation with said contacts, electrodes adjacent to said contacts connectable to a source of high potential for controlling the electric charge of said ball which causes said ball to oscillate between bridging relationship with said two pairs of contacts, and a coil on `said housing providing a field when energized, through which said ball travels for controlling the rate of movement thereof.

4. In an electric control device, a housing, two pairs of spaced contacts in said housing, a ball movable within the housing to and from bridging relation with said contacts, electrodes adjacent to said contacts connectable to a source of voltage for controlling the electric charge of said ball which causes said ball to oscillate between bridging relationship with Ysaid two pairs of contacts, a coil on said housing providing a tield through which Vsaid ball travels for controlling the rate of movement thereof, and means for varying the potential to said electrodes for also varying the speed of oscillation of said ball.

5. `In an electric control device, a housing, two pairs of spaced contacts in said housing, a ball movable within the housing to and from bridging relation with said contacts, electrodes adjacent to said contacts connectable to a source of high potential for controlling the electric charge of said ball which causes said ball to oscillate between bridging relationship with said two pairs of contacts, a coil on said housing providing a eld through which-said ball travels for controlling the rate of movement thereof, means for varying the potential to `said electrodes for also varying the speed of oscillation of said ball, and a coil on said housing adjacent to eachof said pairs of contacts for retaining the ball in bridging relation under a predetermined pressure 'controlledby theY the housing to and from bridging relation with said con tacts, electrodes adjacent to said contacts connectable to a sourcev of high potential for controlling the electric charge of said ball which causes said ball to oscillate between bridging relationship with said two pairs of contacts, and coils on said housing one adjacent to each pair of contacts for stopping the oscillation of the ball and retaining it in predetermined pressure engagement with said contacts to maintain a circuit therethrough.

7. In an electric control device, a housing, two pairs of spaced contacts in said housing, a ball movable within the housing to and from bridging relation with said contacts, electrodes adjacent to said contacts connectable to a source of high potential for controlling the` electric charge of said ball which causes said ball to oscillate between bridging relationship with said two pairs of contacts, coils on said housing one adjacent to each pair of contacts fo'r stopping the oscillation of the ball and retaining it in predetermined pressure engagement with said contacts to maintain a circuit therethrough, and coil means disposed between said two coils for influencing the movement of the ball and stopping its movement when desired.

8. In an electric control device, a housing, a pair of spaced contacts in said housing, a ball movable within the housing to and from bridging relation with said contacts, and electrodes adjacent to said contacts connectable to a source of voltage for producing an electric eld forming a pathway for moving said ball to and from bridging relation with said contacts.

9. In an electric control device, a housing, two pairs of spaced contacts in said housing, two balls movable within the housing to and from bridging relation with said contacts, electrodes adjacent to said contacts connectable to a source of high voltage formcontrolling the electric charge of said balls to cause said balls to oscillate between bridging relationship kwith said two pairs of contacts, a coil adjacent to each of said pairs of contacts for stopping the oscillation vof one or both balls when bridging one or both pairs of contacts for completing a circuit or circuits therethrough, and additional coil 'means between said two coils for inuencing the movement of the balls and stopping their movement entirely when out of bridging relationship with said contacts. 

